Cast and crew recount the behind-the-scenes history of Freddy Krueger and the “Nightmare on Elm Street” franchise.

Synopsis:

Don’t Fall Asleep – An L.A. Times article about a young man who died violently in his sleep inspired Wes Craven to write “A Nightmare on Elm Street.” New Line Cinema picked up the film as one of their earliest projects. The name Freddy came from a childhood bully who repeatedly beat up Wes Craven. David Warner was originally cast as Freddy Krueger at a time when Craven wanted the character to be older. David Miller based the Freddy makeup on a pepperoni pizza. Craven and producer Bob Shaye butted heads during production. Craven wanted to end the film happily, but Shaye insisted on a hook. Heather Langenkamp’s boyfriend at the time created the basic theme for the nursery rhyme that Craven had written. The film’s success launched multiple careers.

Kill for Me – “Nightmare on Elm Street 2” began shooting without Robert Englund as Freddy Krueger. Brad Pitt and Christian Slater both auditioned for the role of Jesse that ultimately went to Mark Patton. At the time, director Jack Sholder and a majority of the crew were oblivious to the film’s homosexual overtones, although writer David Chaskin added the themes intentionally. Bob Shaye allegedly threatened to fire Jack Sholder for refusing to give him the role of Robert Rusler’s father. Sholder cast Shaye as the leather-clad gay bartender instead. Even during filming, crewmembers questioned the direction of the script.

We’re the Dream Warriors – Wes Craven wrote the first draft of “Dream Warriors.” Chuck Russell and Frank Darabont rewrote the script to be not as dark as Craven initially intended. FX artists and the filmmakers discuss the movie’s elaborate props and special effects sequences. For the dream sequence that takes place on Dick Cavett’s set, Cavett himself chose Zsa Zsa Gabor to be the guest. He supposedly claimed it was because he would never have her on his show in reality and wanted to see her die on film. Robert Englund ad-libbed the popular line, “welcome to primetime, bitch!” An effects sequence of Nurse Marcie transforming into Freddy was nixed because the filmmakers felt the image of Freddy with breasts was too off-kilter. Actors and executives were frustrated with first-time director Chuck Russell as on-set tension was high. Robert Englund and Heather Langenkamp identify “Dream Warriors” as the fan favorite of the series.

How Sweet, Fresh Meat – New Line Cinema took a chance on Finnish director Renny Harlin. No one knew why Patricia Arquette chose not to reprise her role as Kristen for “The Dream Master.” The fourth movie included physical effects from a who’s who of Hollywood’s premier makeup FX artists. By this point, the franchise was a cultural and merchandising phenomenon.

It’s a Boy – New Line solicited screenplay pitches from splatterpunk writers. David J. Schow originally delivered a script titled “Freddy Rules.” Director Stephen Hopkins was hired in February for a film with an August release date. Rewrites were ongoing even during filming. “The Dream Child” opened to a disappointed response from fans.

Every Town Has an Elm Street – The commercial failure of the fifth movie inspired the idea to kill Freddy Krueger for the sixth film. Peter Jackson co-wrote a first draft with Danny Mulheron titled, “The Dream Lover.” Rachel Talalay asked to direct. New Line ultimately went with Michael DeLuca’s screenplay for “Freddy’s Dead: The Final Nightmare.” John Waters regulars made up some of the cast and crew, including Divine, who passed away before filming a planned scene. A marketing promotion staged a funeral for Freddy Krueger at the Hollywood Forever Cemetery.

Meet Your Maker – “Wes Craven’s New Nightmare” began when Bob Shaye made amends with Craven. Inspired by Heather Langenkamp’s real-life experience with a stalker, Craven had an idea to break the fourth wall for a realistic approach to the new story. The first draft was titled, “A Nightmare on Elm Street 7: The Ascension.” Although critically well received, the film was overshadowed at the box office by the release of “Pulp Fiction.”

Place Your Bets – More than a dozen drafts were written over several years during development of “Freddy vs. Jason.” Various discarded ideas included Jason Voorhees going on trial and Freddy Krueger urinating into the Holy Grail. Brad Renfro was originally cast as Will, but he died before filming. Test audiences disliked the original ending. For the reshot climax, Bob Shaye requested the wink from Freddy’s decapitated head.

The House That Freddy Built – New Line merged with Time Warner in 2008, making the company a mini-major studio. Bob Shaye was then forced out of the company at a time when independent features were no longer part of the production slate.

Review:

Obviously, a four-hour retrospective on the “Nightmare on Elm Street” series is going to be a love letter to Freddy’s faithful followers and a must-see trip through the time tunnel for devoted fans of the film franchise. But in addition to being the definitive documentary on all things Elm Street, “Never Sleep Again: The Elm Street Legacy” transcends niche appeal with a structure and a sincerity that cast it as the new standard to which all behind-the-scenes features must measure up.

“Never Sleep Again” is exceptionally produced, exceptionally thought out, and exceptionally entertaining. The formula on the screen and the passion behind it possess an uncanny ability to instill a newfound appreciation of the series, even for casual and no-longer-interested fans.

It helps that before “Never Sleep Again,” there was a surprising dearth of comprehensive coverage for a series with such longevity and enduring popularity. There is a lot to reveal regarding Elm Street and the plentiful trivia is both absorbing and previously unknown.

For instance, “Halloween” faithful are well aware that Christopher Lee, not Donald Pleasence, topped John Carpenter and Debra Hill’s wish list for who should play Michael Myers’ Ahab, Dr. Loomis. Far fewer in number are those in the know that David Warner was originally cast as Freddy Krueger, and even wore the makeup for an effects test, before Robert Englund filled the role.

Actor David Warner was almost Freddy Krueger before Robert Englund.

The first ingredient in the documentary’s successful approach is an intelligent balance of content. Humorous anecdotes such as those involving rampant naivety over the homosexual themes of “Freddy’s Revenge” provide levity. Questioning the marketing of children’s pajamas themed around a fictional pedophile addresses the controversies. And whenever the discussion turns to special effects, it is always presented in a way that is appealing to laypeople and not just “how it’s done” nerds.

Glancing at the several hours worth of supplemental content on a second disc proves that directors Daniel Farrands and Andrew Kasch, writer Thommy Hutson, and co-editor Michael Benni Pierce carefully weighed what to include. The additional asides range in worth from throwaway to limited interest, but it shows that the filmmakers had King Solomon-like wisdom when considering what was essential for the main feature.

Four hours turns out to be a perfectly appropriate length. Watching it all in one sitting is not a chore, but chapters are segmented chronologically by film, making it easier to home in solely on sections that hold the most interest for a viewer.

It would be a mistake to watch the movie the first time in any manner other than all the way through. What “Never Sleep Again” excels at most as a documentary is how it effortlessly flows through each era while painting a cohesive picture of the series’ development as a whole.

This scene of Nurse Marcie transforming into Freddy was scrapped for being too off-kilter.

Franchise direction choices that seemed like missteps to outsiders at the time are given new context with fresh perspectives. When producer Sara Risher recounts her own pregnancy coupled with the notion that the teenaged audience of the first “Nightmare on Elm Street” had become parents themselves, it suddenly makes sense that New Line decided to give Freddy a child for the fifth movie.

Whether it is the reasons given for why the first sequel was such a departure in tone or the explanation for Freddy’s transformation into insult comic, there is a real understanding of how and why the series evolved from one iteration to the next. A genuine reverence is expressed from everyone behind the scenes. Ideas that did not work are shown to be ideas that did not work, and not a case of someone committing less than 100% or throwing arms up in surrender.

The honesty from everyone interviewed lends the film serious integrity. Executives cop to poor hiring choices. Actors admit on-set drug use. Directors recall instances of butting heads. Everyone expresses a refreshing frankness over mistakes made with an air of buried hatchets instead of tabloid tawdriness.

The nostalgia is not as wistful as in similar docs where actors reminisce with unfettered reverie. It would be easy for minutes to disappear on topics of what the movie means to whomever while philosophizing over hidden meanings and other pointless blah-blah. Here, there is substantial informative value and the insights are focused. When “Never Sleep Again” does break into a tangent, it is to dig deeper into the mindsets behind the screenplays and the characters, which is wholly appropriate for films centered on traumatic psychological terror.

Unused concept of a "Freddy Mobile" for "Wes Craven's New Nightmare."

Clips bridging and accenting the talking heads are a showcase of rarities, outtakes, and unused concepts. FX artists affectionately rib Robert Englund for his Chatty Cathy reputation. An oversized Freddy marionette topples over, bringing crewmembers with it to the ground. A stunt double uses colorful language to express frustration over long shooting hours. Half of the fun comes from the surprise that such footage even exists. The other half comes from the shock that the filmmakers are unafraid to show their warts.

The biggest surprise is the emotional conclusion. It is entirely fitting that the documentary closes with coverage of New Line, the “House That Freddy Built,” folding into Time Warner. As much as it is about Freddy and Elm Street, “Never Sleep Again” chronicles the role of the once maverick company behind it all. As a pioneer in independent cinema, New Line had a vibrant spirit of creative freedom and close-knit connectedness. Feeling like an insider with the peek behind their curtain makes one long to have been part of such an exciting time and an amazing collection of talent.

The subtlety of Clu Gulager’s sarcasm. Michael Granberry’s stop-motion animated bookends. Trying not to make eye contact with actress Lezlie Deane’s submissive companion as she stares silently during Deane’s interviews. “Never Sleep Again” has so much rich material to enjoy, yet there is still time to wish that every horror franchise had a documentary of similar scope and quality.

More than an exhaustive index of how a popular horror series earned its seminal status, “Never Sleep Again” is a near perfect documentary that is endlessly fascinating on multiple levels. This is not for diehards only. This is for everyone who loves movies.